Love to hear it when a local company is growing — especially a completely geeky one that makes 3D printers that make even more 3D printers!

Aleph Objects and its LulzBot printers entertained Rep. Jared Polis at its new 17,000-square foot headquarters in Loveland recently and shared photos plus an update on the company.

I couldn’t make it myself, but I’m sure Polis loved it. What politician wouldn’t appreciate a local company that just a year ago that has more than tripled its staff in a year? Aleph employs 70 people today and is apparently still in need of more good workers.

Rep. Jared Polis (in blue) gets a closer look at Aleph Objects new headquarters in Loveland, where the 3D printer company now employs 70 people.

And here’s Rep. Polis’s quote the company shared: “I am a big fan of the Open Source movement. I’m very excited we have an Open Source Hardware and Software and presence here in Colorado, on both the industry side as well as the consumer side. And it’s really exciting to hear about all the great new ideas and products coming out of LulzBot.”

Aleph is also known for its open-source 3D printer philosophy. Open-source, in this case, means that all the printers come with the actual printer designs, specifications and documentation so owners can tweak their machines however they want to and keep them updated instead of becoming obsolete.

So — and this is a little mind-boggling — you can buy a printer (or get the design/source code for free and build it yourself) and when Aleph comes up with a faster, better design, the company will share it with you so you can print out the new printer on your existing printer!

LulzBot Mini

Aleph has turned this into a business and at the Loveland facility, 135 printers print new printers that are sold to customers.

So, what do they need 70 people for? Well, someone has to assemble those printers! And there’s obviously a need to have smart people who can develop faster, better technology.

One result of having people at a self-replicating 3D printer factory is the recent launch of the LulzBot Mini, a fast, compact little printer selling for $1,350. (Other LulzBot’s sell between $1,595 and $2,195.)

After his visit Rep. Polis tweeted a selfie with Aleph’s cluster of 135 LulzBot 3D printers. Looks like I’ll need to make a visit myself soon.

​Tamara Chuang covers personal technology and local tech news for The Denver Post. She loves figuring out how things work and explaining them either through words, graphics or video. Find out how to contact her at dpo.st/tamara

The Larimer County coroner on Sunday performed an autopsy on the body found on a farm just east of Loveland Saturday, but the office will not release the cause of death or the identity of the person until they can track down next of kin.